Personal Website Record-Filing: From Idea to Burial

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:29:19 +0700

TL;DR / [Geek Summary]:

Regulatory Trade-offs: Analyzing the Mainland China ICP record-filing system; weighing speed gains (CDN/domestic host) against privacy exposure.

Risk Profiling: Exposing doxing risks from public ID records and the impact of strict keyword censorship on personal creative freedom.

The Geek Path: A blueprint for building “filing-immune” sites using international registrars, PayPal, and offshore servers to maintain autonomy.

# What is Record-Filing?

Q: What is “Mainland China Website Record-Filing” (ICP License)?

A: Website record-filing is a license required to operate a website in Mainland China. It determines whether you can host and run a website within its borders.

# Why is Record-Filing Required?

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of Mainland China, websites hosted in Mainland China (whether on home broadband or through service providers) must undergo record-filing. Websites that are not filed will have their resolution forcibly blocked.

# Are Unfiled Websites Impossible to Open?

It’s found that unfiled servers in Mainland China can sometimes be accessed via IP + port directly. However, if traffic is high, service providers will use DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) to detect the site and suspend the service, often without a refund.

Can’t unfiled domains be opened? Not exactly. If the domain is registered outside of Mainland China, you can point it to a domestic Chinese server, but the service provider will still suspend the service once they detect unfiled traffic.

# It’s a Bit Troublesome

The rule is: You must file through the service provider where you purchased your hosting. You need to prepare a domain, a cloud server or virtual host, and filing materials. The provider reviews the materials and submits them to MIIT. The review process takes about 20 working days.

While many people go through this process, a 20-working-day wait is long. If the review fails, you have to resubmit and wait another 20 days. Your website’s momentum could be lost before it’s even officially filed.

# What Happens After Record-Filing?

# Pros

Domestic CDN and Server Acceleration: This significantly improves access speeds for users in Mainland China. (Note: Domestic servers often have low bandwidth like 3M-5M. In case of a DDoS attack, they are often null-routed. CDNs also require strict rate limiting to avoid massive bills during an attack).
Priority in Search Engines: Baidu, 360, and Sogou tend to favor filed websites.
Domestic Ad Network Access: If you have many stable domestic users, domestic ad networks can offer better payouts than Google Ads.
Increased Credibility: It shows the site is officially recognized.

# Cons

Privacy Risks: Since names and ID information are stored in official query systems, “human flesh searching” (doxing) becomes much easier.
Compliance Risks: Your filing can be revoked for things deemed non-compliant, such as hosting Google Ads or certain comments.
Censorship: You are required to moderate or remove comments.
Naming Restrictions: There are keyword restrictions on website names.
Footer Restrictions: You are limited in what you can add to the footer.

# How I Avoid Record-Filing

I host my domains on international platforms and pay via PayPal (which offers dispute protection), and then purchase an international server to host my site.

# Conclusion

If record-filing offers more benefits than drawbacks for you, then you should definitely do it. However, if you are running a personal website, I suggest avoiding this “high-end” hassle, as it can be costly and restrictive.

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